Borat 2’s Tutar Actress Called the Film’s Babysitter on Thanksgiving

Maria Bakalova called the babysitter from Borat Subsequent Moviefilm on Thanksgiving, according to a recent interview. The Bulgarian actress played Borat’s daughter, Tutar, in the surprise sequel to Sacha Baron Cohen’s 2006 comedy classic that released last October.

While Bakalova has received critical praise for her star-making performance, Jeanise Jones, a real-life babysitter who was one of the people unaware of the mockumentary’s true nature, has become somewhat of a celebrity herself. In the movie, Jones watches Tutar while Borat raises money for her cosmetic surgery, and while some of their exchanges are certainly funny, her sincere attempts to counter the sexism Tutar had internalized are some of the movie’s most heartwarming moments. As some of the Borat’s more revealing antics dominated the headlines, Jones’ genuine display of concern earned the admiration of many of the movie’s viewers.

According to a recent interview with the LA Times, it seems that Bakalova, too, was touched by Jones’ kindness. When asked if they’d been in touch at all since filming wrapped, she reveals that they called on Thanksgiving:

Jeanise is a true angel. I will probably always think of her as my godmother, a real hero and life coach. She just wanted to help this girl become a strong woman. We had a real human connection from the very first day we met. I called her on Thanksgiving: It was my first American Thanksgiving and was also my best. I was so happy to talk to her that I started to cry. When we were shooting, it was very hard for me, because I wanted to tell her not to worry about me. She is a really good example of how important it is to be a good person and care about others.

While Bakalova’s commitment to staying in character was crucial to the success of Borat 2, learning the truth proved hard on Jones. She told the press she felt “betrayed” by the movie, which she believed to be a documentary about a father selling his daughter into marriage, and was paid only $3,600 for her participation. In response, her pastor set up a GoFundMe campaign to better compensate her for the key role she ended up playing, and viewers responded by raising over $184,000 to date, with donations continuing to roll in. Baron Cohen himself donated $100,000 to Jones’ Oklahoma City church, which, in another display of her character, was distributed to the local community at her request.

Fans of both the film and Jones will be happy to know there’s no bad blood between the babysitter and Bakalova, who has been receiving a lot of love from critics for her performance. Beyond allotting her approving words in reviews, she has won Best Supporting Actress from both the New York Film Critics Circle and the Chicago Film Critics Association, two prestigious awards that suggest more attention is coming. After so much of the press coverage of Borat Subsequent Moviefilm focused on Tutar’s damning hotel-room interview with Rudy Giuliani, Bakalova’s latest comments are a nice reminder of the positive storylines came out of Baron Cohen’s scathing comedy.

Source: LA Times

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